(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a photosensitive recording material and a process for forming an image therewith.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Hitherto, silver halide films have been used in various fields of photoengraving and plate making for printing including graphic arts. In the use of silver halide films, images of high contrast and high density are obtainable by treatment with a special developing solution; however, a drawback has existed in that the maximum density is lowered when reduction requisite in the photoengraving or plate making process is made. Further, silver halides are expensive and have been susceptible to fluctuation of price.
As substitutes for such silver halide films, non-silver-salt type photosensitive materials are in use which are a laminate of a substrate (a base material), an actinic ray-shielding layer (a light-shielding layer) formed on the substrate, a photosensitive composition layer (a photosensitive layer) formed on the light-shielding layer and, if necessary, a cover sheet or an overcoat layer formed on the photosensitive layer. These non-silver-salt type photosensitive materials are largely divided into the following two groups. One group of the materials are those which are described in Japanese Laid-Open No. 132,333/1981, Japanese Laid-Open No. 19,733/1982, etc. and wherein both the photosensitive layer and the light-shielding layer are simultaneously developed in an alkaline or acidic bath. In this group, when the developing solution is alkaline, the solution is seriously deteriorated by air oxidation and, in order to avoid this, there becomes necessary the use of a specific device for making up the solution or replacement of the solution with an aqueous solution containing a high concentration of an alkali which has a problem in workability. Also, the use of an acid as the developing solution is not desirable in view of workability and corrosivity toward the equipment used for development.
The other group of the non-silver-salt type photosensitive materials are those which are described in Japanese Laid-Open No. 148,304/1977 and referred to as "an alkali development--acid etching type" and wherein the photosensitive layer is composed of a polymer layer which is soluble in alkalis under normal conditions but becomes insoluble upon light exposure and the light-shielding layer is formed of an acid-soluble metal film which is deposited on the substrate by vacuum evaporation. This type of photosensitive materials avoids the problem of one layer badly affecting the other layer which is caused by the use of the same treating solution for the photosensitive layer and the light-shielding layer, however, because an alkali is used in development treatment, drawbacks similar to those of the first group exist and moreover etching of the light-shielding layer must be conducted with a strong acid and for a long time.